I have to concur with the others who have posted. A combined transport and infantry build for Japan on turn 1 is the way to go. If Russia took Manchuria on round 1, and if the UK executed the “Kwangtung Maneuver”, the only place left for Japan to build is Southeast Asia. While initially it MIGHT be safe (the US can take that factory using China and Sinkiang forces one time in 3, and later will threaten it with a southern island hoping fleet), it is too far from Russia to do any good, and forward progress against Russia proper is easilly blocked by Novosibirsk infantry units. Japan HAS to focus on gaining IPC’s in round 1 in order to sustain a transport invasion of Russia through the back door (Manchuria to Yakut to Novosibirsk to Russia). Also, as Japan builds a transport navy (protect by heavy naval forces that were NOT sacrificed against the US at Hawaii) the US has to garrison Alaska heavilly (that japanease transport fleet ferrying troops to Manchuria is a single move away from an all out invasion of Alaska too). That reduces the number of US dollars that can be spent on the European war, allowing Germany to maintain the frontal assault on Russia that eventually leads to Japan taking Russia. So for an opening move, Japan re-takes Manchuria, takes Australia, blasts the results of the Kwantung Maneuver (if executed) or takes China using air force and Kwantung infantry. If Japan still holds Manchuria, they assault Yakut and take it. If the UK builds in India, that simply takes more pressure off Germany and allows THEM to take Russia, aided by the threat floating through the Siberian lands… too far from India for UK to do a darn thing about. YAKUT is the key for Japan. Take it and hold it, you have one territory with all of your west-marching forces to defend it from the Russians, and you force Russia to try to defend TWO territories against your massing forces. The drain on Russia: defending Evenk AND Novosibirsk plus holding Karelia and the Caucuses with an income of only 20 or so IPC’s is FATAL, REGARDLESS of UK and US support. And with Russia gone, the Alllies WILL lose (economic victory is immediate on taking Russia, world domination only a few moves away)
Japan Navy
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What do you guys do with the japanese navy during the game?
Seems like such a waste to just sit there, but with all the US and UK cannon fodder (trns) in the atlantic, you really can’t go off and try to do some real damage by trying to be agressive.
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What I usually do is kill the hawaiian fleet via bomber battleship and sub. Hits are taken in the following manner sub, battleship and then bomber. If I have killed the sub and the aircraft carrier I will leave the plane as I don’t want to get hit by his 4 defense and sacrifice my bomber for the plane. This basically depends on how the roll of the dice went.
At the same time I take the other battleship, aircraft carrier with one plane and transport from phillapenes and hit australia. I am not sure of the odds but I take this without much difficulty.
Turn 2 excluding mainland
Transport remaining men from australia to new zealand. If you don’t have enough men you can grab one from the solomones and still hit nz in the same turn. (Essentially your aircraft carrier and battleship and idle this turn unless the british made a mistake with the transport placement from India. In a noncombat move fly one plane to Japan so it can reach hawaii next turn.Turn 3
Take ac, battleship, 2 men from new zealand, one plane from Japan and hit hawaii. This should be cake walk. At this point it is likely that the american has moved remaining sea units through panama sea zone to go after germany. Now they have a problem. Japan can hit any territory on western seaboard from Alaska to panama. I usually take 2 transports and hit Alaska with my other battleship to compound this problem for the US. My whole plan is to get some resources from America to fight Japan. At the end of turn 3 Japan has 4 men in Alaska with a battleship, 2 men likely in Hawaii with Battleship and aircraft carrier with 2 planes. The US player will have to buy some units to counter this in Western America. This is not good enough however, you need to get them to deploy them against Alaska and other spots. We must make America defend America or the game is over before it starts. This should buy Germany time. On this turn -
I let it sit there and defend as I use all my IPC’s for land
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In the first round I
m going to destroy the Hawaii fleet, then I drawback to Japan to support transports shipping land units. If you do not retreat and it goes too well for the allies back in Europe, the U.S can concentrate too much on your fleet, so it should be at least near Japan with some cannon fodder transports to be save and to hinder Americans coming too near to Tokio. You can also use it for getting Alaska or Hawaii in case America places its Bomber there to reach Tokio. But be always aware that, if it not the first turn, the U.S. most times have a good chance to commit revenge successfully the turn after you. -
Send it to the Atlantic, build an IC in South Africa, and have some fun! 2 Subs/turn can really piss the allies off.
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